Workplace Buzz: Today’s Headlines

Workplace Buzz on December 18, 2007 7:15 AM

Holiday Depression in the Office
Every year around this time, stories about the holiday blues seem to be everywhere. Typically they focus on healthy and well-adjusted people who are suddenly over-stressed and over indulgent, and we in the media offer tips on how to make it through until the tree comes down. But for employees who suffer from serious mental illnesses, this season magnifies their anxieties and depression, often leading to issues at work including absenteeism and a drop in productivity. And those feelings don’t go away just because the holidays are over. MSNBC.com

Keeping Christmas Out of the Workplace
Christmas does not belong in the workplace because it undermines diversity at work. And businesses that promote diversity have more profits in the long run than companies that do not have a diverse workforce. A big problem with Christmas is that those of us who have no reason to celebrate it have to spend a month between Thanksgiving and New Year's dealing with Christmas at work. Christmas is the only religious holiday that everyone has to stop working for. It's the only religious event that offices have parties to celebrate. Huffington Post

Increasingly Common Conflicts
For years, women who say their employers have discriminated against them because of their care-giving roles have filed complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC has not released precise figures but reports it now is seeing a shift: filings by fathers. For example, the EEOC said, some employers have wrongly denied male employees' requests for leave for child care purposes while granting similar requests from female employees. Gannett News Service

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